Rants on Cycling and on Life:
Photos of people and bicycles that pass in front of my camera

10.22.2007

I see the sign... I know the law...

I see the sign...I know the law...my actions respond to a higher thought processmy actions are dictated by common sense and common courtesywhile my guess is... your thoughts/actions are dictated by selfishness

today after work I had to drop something off at my brother's houseso rather than muscle my way up Wisconsin Avenue with aggressive, anxious, and obnoxious rush hour traffic I opted to put the tires on dirtthe bike of the day was the rigid karate monkey singlethe perfect bike for the task in front of me

I rode down M Street through Georgetownthe cars before Key Bridge were practically parkedwhile the cars after Key Bridge sped as if they were on the Auto BonI was pleased when my tires got off pavement and started rolling on dirt

I saw the signI know the lawbut... my actions are dictated my a higher processmy actions are dictated by common sense and common courtesy

so I pedal my way through the urban woods at a moderate pacealways looking ahead aware of any foot traffic approaching

I slow and pause for any and all in the woodsthe leashless dog gets my respect as well as my concernthe runner gets the right of way the hiker and the walker... they get passed with respect as well

it is a beautiful day in the woodsIndian Summer in all of its glorythe leaves are starting to turnthe ground benieth my tires were covered with a blanket of multi-colored leavesmultiple oranges, multiple reds, multiple yellows

I greet each person as I approacheye contact is made and respect is givenan older silver haired gentleman gives a wave of the finger and reminds me of the lawI give him no arguementinstead I give him a smile and wish him a nice dayhe does not hear me... he has his headphones onbut honestly... he would not hear me with his headphones offin my years and years of such interactionI have rarely had a person willing to see any other perspective than theirs

the college kids from Georgetown or AU with their chant of "no bikes... no bikes"the dog walker with their leashless dog and their inability to see their infraction while clearly seeing mineno... none of these people care to discuss the issuethey just want to tell me what I am doing wrong

but I know what I am doing wrongI have accepted things as they aremy choices are to ride on the city streets and risk my lifeor to dip into the woods for a little sanctuaryit does not happen everydayit does not happen oftenbut it does happenoccassionally this sanctuary is broken up by a little confrontation

when will I learnthese little encounters never go wellthe preachers only wants to preachthey never want to listen and growand yesI am enlightened

to all those with your dogs off leashI am a dog owner... I would never wish to cause your dog harmI slow and pass in anticipation of your dog's actionit is also the law that the dog must be on leasha lead longer than six feet does not meet the requirements of the law

to those with small childrenI too am a parentI know that children are just as likely to jump out in front of me as the dogso I slow even more for themas I know I can not predict the unpredictable

and to the runners and the hikersI am a runner and a hikerand I know what it is to be buzzed by the obnoxious cyclistI have no intention of startling youI will respect your space and give you room and give you warning as I approach

most people are friendlymost people do not care about the passing cyclistmost people share a pleasant hello knowing that we are sharing in a beautiful space on a beautiful day

but just as the silver haired man waved his fingerI pass a man with two leashless dogs he makes a faceI have seen that face... I know what that face meansI smile at him and wish him good day and keep along my wayno need to discuss thingsI will not change his face

my trajectory is taken out of the woods as I make a quick stop at my brother'sno time to knock on the doorI just drop the package off on his porchthen I return back to the woods to finish my trek across town

back in the woods for some more time away from the cars

more people are passedeveryone is given their right to their own spacemost people are friendlya runner gives me that classic "no bikes... no bikes"I refrain from respondingI have heard their arguementsand wellI have an arguement for thembut I am not here for discussionsdiscussions that become arguementsarguements that become confrontationseldom is anything ever learned from these exchanges

the trails are short little sections of woods broken up by city streetsI march up a long set of stairs that I can not even consider riding upI am gwadzilla... not Hans Reyat Mass Ave I am reminded of the car chaosthe cars speed as fast as they can with no concern for the speed limitbut it is not the speed limit that I am concerned aboutit is the lack of concern for others as they drivethe lack of foresightthe lack of anticipationand of course.... the lack of common sense and common courtesy

there is a break in trafficI run across the street before the next set of speeding cars can teach me a lesson for crossing where there is no crosswalk

as I approach the woods a runner approachesI had seen her the other dayshe had looked like she had wanted to discuss my being in the woods on that daymy response is pre-loadedI am expecting a discussionshe waits till I pass to tell me what she thinksI turn back and listen to hershe is pretty much too far to hear so I pedal back towards hershe starts in on with a pretty good rantshe goes on and ononce she starts repeating herself I try to give her a rebutalshe has no desire to hear my pieceI am ready to cater my rebutal to her pointspoint by point I will respond to hershe runs away still spouting offnever wanting a discussionjust wanting to yellI bet her kids are in my kid's classI bet I see her againI refrained from letting myself get uglyI started to try and refute her pointsbut in loud voice no point could be made

no... the mountain bike does not cause any more errosion than the runnerpushing around some loose grave or kicking up some dust is not errosionI am just rolling over the hard packed earthjust as the runner is just stepping on the packed earthbut somewhere she heard this misnomer of the impact of cyclistthese trails are the way they are because of hikers, runners, and dog walkers continueing to use them when they are wetnot because of the dozen or so mountain bikers who pass though from time to timeshe goes onshe does not want to hear my counter to the notion errosion she does not want to hear my ideas on the modification of the lawshe does not want to hear my philosophy on common sense and common courtesyshe just wants to stand on her pulpet and state the law

well...to anyone who cares to tell the cyclist about the law and the sign that says NO BIKESlet me put it to you simpleif you own a car than SHUT THE F_CK UP!not because of the carbon footprintbut because there is a speed limitand my riding my bike where it says NO BIKES is pretty much a modification of the law just as going over the speed limit is a modification of the lawthe only differencewhen I choose to modify the law to meet my selfish needsI do so while exhibiting common sense and common courtesythe car drivers... they are reckless and out of control

I know the law...I do own a carI do drive a carbut... I behave when I driveno... I tried going the speed limitit does not work... it incites road ragebut... I do drive with respect for otherswhen driving a car my actions are guided by common sense and common courtesyjust as I bike with respect for otherswhen I liveI try to live with the notion of common sense and common courtesy

just heard the kids come in the house with my wife and the dogright on timeno time to proof thisI made it home alive... which is always my primary goal when getting on the bike and dealing with the idiots and the assholes of the world

what the sign is really saying is do not throw your frisbee on a crowded beach

if there were no one on the beachwould it be so wrong to throw the frisbee back and forth

and wellif there is the right windthe frisbee thrown at 45 degrees into the wind comes right back to youit is an artit is a joyit can only be done when the wind is righthe wind is usually right on the beachoften right at the shore

It's a very old-school Tory notion that the laws don't matter, but people's habits - common sense, manners, and character - should govern behavior. It boils down to good character.

In the long run, relying on people's good character to restrain their bad behavior and encourage the good, is the right thing to do. In a heavily rules-based, increasingly top-down and completely over-lawyered society, it's also probably incompatible with the existing social order.

I have no problem with you biking on that trail as long as you were safe and didn't injure the trail or anybody else. I need to remember to apply the same standard to others more regularly.

"if there were no one on the beach would it be so wrong to throw the frisbee back and forth"

My sentiments exactly when it comes to pedaling through red lights and stop signs. But then I get the "so, based on that reasoning, shouldn't it also be okay for cars to slow and go at reds/stops" from people who can't be made to understand the difference between a high speed, cumbersome, two-ton juggernaut with blind spots and a slow-moving, highly maneuverable, open cockpit, 30 lb bicycle.

Witness the recent ticketing campaign waged against cyclists in Alexandria to the tune of $75 a pop, as discussed on The Wash Cycle. (Almost) unbelievable.

only when it is safe in the crosswalk should a person be ticketed for responsible jaywalking

cars need to make complete stops at stop lines before they ticket a bicycle for viewing a stop sign as a yeild sign

cars modify the speed limit to suit their desire to "flow"bicycles are doing the samethe ticket should be issued when there is a reckless breaking of the lawhigh speed in a 25 MPH zone... no ticket for going 26MPHjust as the cyclist rolls through when it is safe to flow through

Gwadz, what you say is honest, and I am also guilty of ignoring the sign and exercising special caution from time to time. But the truth is that we are only able to break these rules because most people obey them. If everyone broke the rule, the park, road, lane, path, whatever would be unusable for everyone.

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